The invention relates generally to multi-purpose furniture, and in particular to a sofa-bed air mattress combination. To save space in small apartment, condominiums and mobile homes, various configurations of multi-purpose furniture have long been in use that can serve as a sofa by day, and as a bed by night. One such configuration folds a mattress into itself beneath seating cushions. The mattress and frame, however, are massive and heavy, taking up space within the design and adding substantial weight. The cross members necessary to support the mattress are also uncomfortable for the user. Replacing the conventional mattress with an air mattress that is stowed in an arm of the sofa would take up much less space, and add less weight to the design. Particularly for overnight guests, this would provide a comfort advantage over a standard pull-out bed, and a convenience and practicality advantage over conventional mattresses.
A search of the prior art reveals various sofa beds which have been developed to serve as a sofa by day, and as a bed by night. None are closely related to the present invention, but several include features which resemble those of the present invention. Each has proven to be less than satisfactory in its own way. The present invention has been developed for the purpose of addressing and resolving these disadvantages.
Sofa bed with inflatable mattress, U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,556 (filed Mar. 1, 1983), provides a sofa bed including a fixed frame which is provided with a conventional foldable, sectional sofa bed frame. The sofa bed frame is foldable and unfoldable between collapsed and extended positions in a conventional manner. The sofa had also includes a sectional mattress which includes inner, outer and intermediate inflatable mattress sections which are hingedly connected together. The mattress sections in the unfolded condition serve as a full mattress, and when in the folded condition constitute part of the sofa.
Chair, U.S. Pat. No. 2,494,838 (filed Dec. 29, 1945), provides a chair or divan especially one of the upholstered or overstuffed type, whose arm rests are convertible into tables for writing, supporting refreshments, or the like, by virtue of a pair of coaxial plates or boards hinged together along one edge so that one may be moved to overlie the other in one position and become parallel with the latter in another position. The movable board is upholstered on one side while the opposite side, as is the exposed side of a companion board is appropriately finished to constitute jointly with the other a table top in which the flanges of the hinges, preferably of the piano type, are countersunk.
Seating/sleeping systems and methods, U.S. Patent Appl. Publ. No. 2007/0006384 (filed Jun. 28, 2005), provides a seating/sleeping system which includes: a lower support layer; a cushion that is located above the support layer and that is supported by the support layer, the cushion being configured to support buttocks of a person sitting on the seating/sleeping system; a back support layer that is located above the lower support layer, the back support layer being configured to support a back of a person sitting on the seating/sleeping system; and an air mattress that is connected to the seating/sleeping system and that is located within the seating/sleeping system, the air mattress configured to be inflated while remaining connected to the seating/sleeping system.
Mattress guard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,261 (priority Mar. 20, 1985), provides a mattress guard for use in a convertible sofa bed having an air inflatable mattress supported on the mattress support of a folding bed mechanism frame. The mattress guard includes a pair of flexible guard members adapted to be placed on opposed edges of the mattress, elastic straps resiliently securing the guard members together along the top surface of the mattress and attachment devices for securing the guard members to the mattress support below the mattress. The guard members hold the bedding for the mattress securely against the mattress and prevent it from becoming entrapped in the folding mechanism when the bed is folded. In addition, the mattress will be compressed when air is released therefrom prior to folding of the sofa bed to space its edges away from the mechanism.
Most of these inventions provide furniture designs with storage compartments. Some of these inventions provide air mattresses, but provide heavy and uncomfortable bed frames and cross members which provide no improvement over the traditional pull-out folding bed. This creates various disadvantages. The furniture is difficult to move, either for the purpose of relocating to a new residence, or for the purposes of rearranging the furniture or cleaning. Furthermore, the bed is uncomfortable and does not provide a good night's sleep. These disadvantages make the prior art inventions less than ideal. The present invention, which provides a solid shell bed base without a frame, resolves the disadvantages of the prior art and is not anticipated by the prior art.
A sofa-bed air mattress combination, which provides a solid shell bed base and a folded air mattress stored in an arm of the sofa, would help to resolve these disadvantages.